Page 40 of 4 Corinthians

I looked out the window to see if she had dropped it and noticed it on the ground under the chairs we were sitting in.

“It’s outside,” I said, unbuckling my seat belt. I was next to the door. “I’ll get it.”

“Okay,” Madea said as she consoled Psalms. She pulled back and smiled at Psalms. “Corinthians is going to get it; you just dropped it on the ground earlier. It’s okay.”

I got out of the car, and Granddaddy stopped talking to look at me. “Bug dropped her ladybug,” I told him, pointing to it on the ground. “I’m going to get it.”

“Alright,” he said, nodding, then went back to his conversation. Even though he was talking, I knew that he was still going to keep an eye on me. I closed the car door and ran over to the seats.

I picked up the ladybug, wiped the dirt off it, and tucked it under my arm. When I turned around, Robert was standing in front of me. “Pet,” he said, stepping closer to me. I tried to look around him, but Robert blocked my movement. “Pet, I want you to see how far my reach goes.” I took a step back. “I want you to remember exactly what I am capable of. This is all your fault. I killed your parents because you didn’t listen.” He knelt so we were eye to eye. “I took them and your aunts and uncles because you upset me.” He cupped my face and gently rubbed his thumb over my bottom lip. “I will be around, watching. Never get comfortable, Pet. Never think that I won't find out what you’ve done, who you spend time with. Never doubt that I am always watching because I am, and when I’m ready for you, I will come.” He smiled. “And if you fight it or try to tell, I’ll make you watch as I slowly kill them.” He kissed my forehead and smiled. “Run along; your grandfather is done talking now. But remember, one word, and I’ll kill them all.” He moved out of the way, and I saw Granddaddy talking to Logan. Logan pointed at me, and Granddaddy turned around to face me.

“Let’s go, Corinthians,” Granddaddy said, waving me over. I slowly walked over to him and Logan. “You ready?” I nodded. “Alright, let me get y’all home.” He turned back to Logan and shook his head. “I appreciate your kind words. Ruben didn’t talk much about his past, but it’s nice meeting you.”

“Same,” Logan said, shaking his hand. “My brother and I will miss him.” Logan looked around, then pointed to Robert, who was standing near a black car. “That’s Robert. If you ever need anything, don’t hesitate to contact one of us.” He handed Granddaddy a card, then turned to me. “I’m sorry about your loss, Corinthians. You and your sister are always in our prayers.”

“Have a good one,” Granddaddy said, putting the card in his pocket. Logan walked to the car where Robert was standing. “Come on.” He opened the car door for me, and I got in. I handed Psalms her ladybug and watched Robert and Logan’s car pull away.

“You okay, Corinthians?” Madea asked, and I nodded. “You sure?”

I nodded instead of answering. When the car pulled off, I felt my eyes start to water. I closed my eyes and laid my head against the window. If I kept my eyes closed, then my tears would never fall.

Teenage

Uri

Iheard the whip crack, the pressure on my back for a few seconds, and then nothing. Again, Robert took his anger out on me, and I just stood there. Strapped to a table, not caring, yet allowing my anger to build.

“Never hesitate!” Robert yelled as he continued to hit me. “No matter the person, no matter the reason. Never hesitate!” The crack of the whip echoed through the room. I could see Robert through the mirror on the wall. His sleeves were rolled up because he was hot and sweaty, his eyes wild, his hair all over his head—nothing like the man in the boardroom that he commanded. “I told you to fight! To kill him! But you didn’t listen! You never listen!” Again, the pressure from the whip pushed into my skin—no pain, never pain, just the feeling of pressure for a moment, then nothing.

“You may as well let him go,” Logan chuckled from his corner as he ate an apple. “You know the nigga don’t care, and he can't feel shit you doing.” He bit into his apple and chewed slowly. “You are working yourself up for nothing.”

“He still has to learn,” Robert huffed. He dropped the whip on the table beside me, then picked up a towel and wiped his face. Sweat and blood mixed, leaving the white towel pink-spotted.

“Ain’t shit else you can teach him,” Logan chuckled. “You took everything away from him.” He pointed around the room. “You locked him in this damn basement and only let him come out when you want him to fight.”

“Everyone always has a lesson,” Robert said, stepping around me. He grabbed my face to make me look at him. “You have something you’re holding on to, or you wouldn’t still be standing here. You have a reason to fight.” He got in my face. “What is it?”

I didn’t say anything, and Robert wasn’t expecting me to. I hadn’t said anything in years. Not since he dragged me to Corinthians’ family funeral years ago. He’d killed them, had a car crash into them, and then put bullets in their heads afterward to make sure they died. How do I know? Because he told me. He gloated about the car wreck and his ability to get away with ten murders. The only couple that lived was Mathew and his wife. Why he let them live, I will never know, but he killed the rest. I saw the satisfaction he felt watching their funeral, but what turned my stomach was the enjoyment in his eyes when he saw Corinthians. When we got back to the warehouse, he’d been so excited at the thought of Corinthians living with him that he could barely sit. Our lawyer coming in and breaking the news to him that the paperwork hadn’t been properly filled out had sent him into a rage. For hours he beat me, breaking my ribs, left arm, leg, and crushing the bones in my hands. And even then, that wasn’t enough. He went home, beating my mama to the point that now she walks with a permanent limp.

For months after, Robert had tried to find every loophole and came up empty-handed. I did not pray, but I started after I found out he wouldn’t get her. I prayed that whatever was going on would stay in place until she was old enough not to need a guardian.

Corinthians, Psalms, and her cousins all lived with their grandparents. Everyone except Cross and her parents, who moved to Arizona to hide from Robert and Logan, but they knew where they were.

Robert let my face go, then hit me. My head flew to the left, and blood ran from my mouth. I didn’t lift it, not because he had won but because there was no reason to. Robert would stop hitting me when he became exhausted.

“Just kill him,” Logan laughed. “That’s the only peace you’ll ever feel.”

“Shut the fuck up, Logan,” Robert said, then threw the towel on the table. “Shut up before it’s you I kill.”

I lifted my head to see Logan glaring at Robert. He shut up and continued eating his apple, which made me smirk. Logan was weak, but his patience was starting to thin. Robert didn’t have the hold on him that he once did. The constant disrespect he subjected Logan to was becoming too much.

Robert stood near the door, crossed his arms, and watched me. “Call the doctor to have him checked out,” he said glaring at me. “Untie him and take him to his room.”

“His room?” Logan asked. “Why?”

“Drug him and make it look like he’s sleeping. Bradon is coming by,” Robert instructed, then left.

“I hate that nigga,” Logan said as he stood. He could have been talking about either Robert or Uncle Bradon. Over the years, Uncle Bradon had made both their lives a living hell. After Robert paid back the money he had embezzled from the life insurance policy he held on Ruben and Angel, Uncle Bradon took over this office. Robert and Logan answered to him. Robert and Logan went to the office every day and at night still ran the fights. That was the only control they had; Uncle Bradon had no idea of what they were doing. And to keep him in the dark, they kept Kenbral and me away. Robert told him that we went to boarding school across the country. Every so often, he would have us around, saying we were home for break. Hearing that Robert had planned for me to be in my room when he came was a surprise.